Grand piano.



J. F. CONOVER.

GRAND PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10, IHl- Patented Nov. 12,1918.

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GRAND PIANG.

APPUCATION FILED SEPT. 10. 191 1.

1,284,602. Patented NW. 12 1918.

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' piano.

JAMES F. CON OVER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GRAND PIANO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1918.

Application filed September 10, 1917. Serial No. 190,484.

' To all whom it may concern:

vful Improvements in Grand Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to grand pianos, and has for one of its objects the provision of a grand piano construction in which the case is made separately and apart from the other parts of the piano and applied to said other parts after completion.

A further object is the provision of a piano which is simple and economical of construction, and one which permits the assembling of a case having peculiar characteristics onto the rest of the instrument having other peculiar characteristics selected to please the purchaser or user of such piano.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

An embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which H I Figure 1 is a plan view of a back frame of a grand piano embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of a casing adapted to fit the frame shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken from front to rear of a grand piano embodying my invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I have shown a back frame in Fig. 1

' made up of a rim portion 5 bent to the proper form required by the scale of the Across the side. portions of the frame 5 is a strong cross member 6. and between the member 6 and bent portions of the rim portion 5, a plurality of strong braces 7 are provided. The front ends of the rim portion 5 are secured together by a key bed or. bottom portion 8. These parts are of usual construction, except that the front ends 9 of the rim 5 are disposed at an gles to the front of the piano providing wedge-like surfaces. The front edge of the key bed'8 is also provided sloping or inclinecl. as at 10, providing a wedging sur face also.

Onto the back frameis secured a sounding-board 11, which has ribs or reinforcing strips 12 of usual construction. The ribs 12 are secured to the rim portion 5 in the usual manner with the sounding-board l1 resting on the top edge of the rim portion 5 and across member 6. On the soundingboard. 11 is secured the iron string plate 13. Said string plate is also of usual construction. The string plate 13 is provided with usual strings 14 secured thereto in any desirable manner. On the key bed are mounted keys 15, which have their rear ends engaging action 16. The latter are provided with hammers 17 to engage the strings 14. A simple form of keys and actions is illustrated as the specific form has nothing to do with the present invention. In the construction illustrated the members 5 to 17, inclusive, are all assembled and may be carried in stock in their assembled condition when so desired without a casing.

, I provide a casing made up of a rear wall 18 and side walls 19 and 20, preferably formed of a continuous piece of wood which may be made up of veneer. or in anyother desirable manner. The walls 18, 19 and 20 are preferably formed in a hot caul. This caul is of such a shape that when the glue between the veneers has dried and the back frame has assumed its final shape, after the parts have been assembled,, the walls 18, 19 and 20 will fit the back frame. The sides 19 and 20 are provided with cross members 21, 22 and 23, and may be provided with still other cross members similar in nature when so desired. Such cross members are placed in such positions as will not interfere with the operation of the piano. These cross members may be secured by means of glue, or in any other desirable manner to hold them in position. The front board 24 above the keys 15 may also be permanently secured across the walls 19 and 20 when'so desired to further facilitate holding such walls in their correct positions.

At the top of the walls 18, 19 and 20 I provide the usual lid 25, which may be made u of one or more parts hinged in any suit? able manner to one of the walls, such as tightly on the back frame.

to wall 20, as is the usual custom. The lid is provided with a drop board 26 which may rest on the top edge of the cross member 21 to close the front of the piano.

The two lateral sides of the frame back rim 5 are preferably tapering from the front ends thereof to the back of the piano. The side walls 19 and 20 of the case are also similarly tapering so that when the case is applied to the frame, said case is dropped 'down over the. frame, then moved toward the front of the piano to bring it in 1nt1- I mate engagement with the entire sides of the rim in a sort of wedging or clamping relation. This insures the casing fitting In order to facilitate holding the casing in this position, the cross member 21 is provided with an inclined surface 27 to engage the edge 10 of the key bed 8. Also the casing is provided with members 28, having surfaces 30 disposed angularly to the front of the piano and adapted to engage the front edges 9 of the frame rim 5. Thus the surfaces 27 and 30 of the case engage the surfaces 9 and 10 of the back frame and cooperate with the gradually tapering walls of the frame and case to tightly hold the case on the frame. lVith' this construction the case and other parts of the piano may be carried in stock in such manner that a purchaser may select a case to suit his particular fancies or desires, and the other parts of the piano to suit his particular desires also and have the desired case put on the other parts. If desired-when the case. and frame are finally to be brought together, glue may be used be tween them to further secure them together. My improved construction also makes it possible to reduce the time in which a piano may be completed over that consumed in forming an ordinary piano. It also makes it easier to finish the case in that the case can be handled more conveniently than the completed piano, since in the usual construction the case must be applied to the frame and other parts before it is finished. My construction also makes it easier for workmen to fit the sounding-board and other parts onto the back frame than where the case is applied to the frame whenthe other arts of the piano are attached.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred 55,

form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited-to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and variations as come Within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim-: I

1. A grand piano comprising a frame hav- 1 ing its lateral sides tapering from the front to the rear thereof; 7 a casing extending around and-fitting the frame; and means tending to hold the sides of the casing from disposed spreading, said casing being held tightly on the tapering Walls of the frame.

2. A piano comprising a back frame having two of its opposite walls disposed in planes at an acute angle to each other; and a casing fitting and wedged on said frame.

3. A piano comprising a back frame having a surface disposed at an angle to the front side of said frame; and a casing extending around and fitting said frame, there being a surface on the casing engaging the said surface of said frame wedging said casing tightly on said frame.

4. A grand piano comprising a frame having side portions with their front edges at angles to the front of the piano; a casing extending around and fitting said frame; and members on the inner walls of the casing engaging said angular front edges of the frame sides wedging the casing tightly on the frame.

5. A piano comprising a frame having its lateral sides tapering slightly from the front to the rear thereof with surfaces at its front portion disposed at angles to said lateral to the rear thereof with surfaces at its front portion disposed at angles to said lateral sides; a casing extending around and fitting the frame and having surfaces engaging said surfaces of the frame securing the casing firmly on the frame; and members extending across and secured to the casing facilitating the securing of the latter on said frame.

7. A piano comprising a frame tapering slightly from the front side to the rear side thereof; and a removable casing extending around and fitting the frame, there being a wedging action between the frame and casing.

8. A grand piano comprising a frame tapering from the front to the rear side thereof; a removable casing extending around and fitting said frame, there being surfaces disposed atangles to the front side of the piano on the frame'and casing, said surfaces of the casing engaging said surface of the frame; and members extending between the lateral sides of the casing holding such sides from spreading.

9. A grand piano, comprising a frame having its lateral sides disposed at a slight angle to each other from the front to the rear side thereof with the front edges of the frame sides and the front edge of the bottom of the frame disposed at acute angles easing fitting closely around said frame with portions engaging the angular edge portions of the frame and binding the casing tightly on said frame.

10. A grand piano casing comprising side Walls tapering slightly from the front to the rear thereof and having surfaces disposed at acute angles to the front side of the easing; spaced members extending between and Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

